Readers are likely aware of some of the headline-grabbing cyber attacks in recent years–WannaCry, SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline, just to name a few. But what about the attacks–and resulting loss of revenue and reputation–that don’t make the news? What is your organization’s cybersecurity posture, and how can it be improved? Read on to learn about cyber threats and how to protect your business.
Threat Awareness and Intelligence
Cyber attacks continue to occur, and to become more sophisticated. No longer coming just from lone hackers, attacks come through email and text (“phishing” and “smishing”, respectively). Supply chain attacks are also on the rise. The global cost of cyber incidents are about 6.1 trillion, far outstripping cybersecurity spending. Often, cyber threats are viewed as something “outside” the organization. The tendency is to treat symptoms and not possible root causes like a lack of threat intelligence. How well do you know what threats like malware and ransomware could do to your business if you’re attacked? According to the 2022 State of Cybersecurity report, businesses are aware of threats, but are not necessarily looking within the organization for vulnerabilities.
Cybersecurity Awareness Throughout Your Organization
More than simply a component of IT function, cybersecurity needs to become a business imperative, with deep awareness on the part of the C-suite and newest employees alike. For example, do your employees know how to recognize a phishing email designed to get them to give up confidential information? For managers, how does the adoption of new technology (along with the cybersecurity challenges it might represent) help with reaching business goals? Often, despite the tools to protect organizations and the money spent on cybersecurity, humans tend to be the weakest link due to lack of threat intelligence. To know your firm’s cybersecurity posture, a good place to start is an audit of your current protections and how well they defend against possible threats. Your primary business goals (including regulatory compliance and data handling) can be a good vantage point for evaluating your current cybersecurity picture and how to improve it.
Cybersecurity awareness and preparation is ideally a constant pursuit, rather than just once a year. For help in auditing your preparedness and formulating a response plan, contact your trusted technology advisor today.
